Guard for elevator doors



June 4, 1929. E. HuTcHlNsoN, JR

GUARD FOR ELEVATOR' DOORS Filed Oct. 21

II Il Il I h Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED 'STATES mante smear orifice. N

EDWARD I-I'UTCHINSON, JR., OF PHLADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAFTIGARD-NUDRIAIRE, INC., OF WILIVIINGTON, DELA-'WARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAW'ARE. f

GUARD FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

Application led October 21, 1926. Serial No. 143,115.

This invention, generally stated, relates to elevators as used in oflicebuildings apartment houses, business houses and the like, and has moreespecial relation to the equipment of the guard gate with additionalprotective means for a purpose to be presently pointed out. Y

As at present practiced, most elevators are equipped with folding guardgates of the general type of toggle-joint arrangement. Persons withinthe elevator, particularly when the saine is in crowded condition,lfrequently are crowded against such guard gate with the result thatumbrellas, canes and the like frequently become caught in the guai'dgates and not infrequently persons fingers are pinched between thejoints of the gate when'being closed by the elevator operator.

The leading object of the present invention is to overcome the abovedescribed disadvantageous features and provide an additional guard forthe elevator gate'by the provision of an auxiliary guard carried by theelevator and which may be moved simultaneously with the opening andclosing of the guard gate, the auxiliary guard being preferably made ofwire or wire mesh so that the elevator operators vision is not obscuredby the auxiliary guard.

A further object of the present invention is to provide automatic meanscarried by the elevator whereby the auxiliary guard automatically maywind or unwind with the closing and opening of the conventional elevatorgate.

Other and invention reside in further objects of the present theprovision of general details of construction and arrangement andcombination of parts for attaining the results sought by the foregoingobjects.

The invention consists of the novel con,- sti'uctions hereinafterdescribed and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1, is a view in elevation, partly sectioned, of an elevatorprovided with a conventional guard gate and the auxiliary guardembodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a view in cross section of the part shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a similar view in which is disclosed two conventionalelevator guard gates and auxiliary guards embodying the invention.

Fig. 1, is a view in elevation, partly sectioned, of one of the springcontrolled rollers around which the auxiliary guard of the invention iswound and unwound.

5, is a top or plan view of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6is a view in sectional plan illustrating details of constructionof the roller and guard shown in the foregoing figures.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in theaccompanying drawings two forms thereof which are at l present preferredby me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactoryand reliable results, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrun'ientalities of which my invention consists can. be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement andv organization of the instrumentalities as hereinshown and described.v

In the drawings, and referring first to Fig. 2, the reference numeral 1designates the structure of a building provided at each n floor with aconventional gate 2 for closing an elevator opening 3, or passengerentrance or exit. The reference numeral 4L designates an elevator guardof any desired form. As is common practice, an elevator, as shown inFig. 1, may be provided with a single guard v.

gate, and as shown in guard gates 6. Practice dictates that in theopening and closing of the such guard gates 5 and 6, particularly whenthe elevator is in crowded condition, that umbrellas, canes and the likefrequently become jammed within the toggle-j oint parts of the gate, andnot infrequently the passengers fingers are pinched between the openingand closing parts of inconvenient and sometime dangerous condition, Iprovide an auxiliary guard 7, best seen in Fig. 1, and which preferablyis com-A or the like, since the v not obscured by wire prised of wiremesh operators vision isr mesh. The lower edge of the guard 7preferably, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, may be Fig. 3 with a pair of thegate. 1n order to obviate this 20 'tion by means of a cross pin slightlyabove the Hoor 8 of the elevator and the upper edge of the guard 7`preferably is arranged considerably below the top 9 of the elevatoropening. The outer edge of the guard 7 is preferably bound by means of astrip 10, and the strip 10 is secured as by means of rivets or the like11 to the outer edge of the guard gate 5. The strip 10 is provided witha hand grip 12. The opposite parallel edge of the `guard 7 is secured tothe vertically disposed roller 13, best seen in Fig. 4. This roller 13is provided at its bottom with a spindle 14, rotatably mounted in abracket 15 carried by the elevator wall, which spindle 14 and a fixedspindle 16 are connected by a coiled spring 17. The squared end 18 ofthe spindle 16 is fitted to the forked portion 20 of bracket 19, aseleaiu ly shown in Fig. 6, and is maintained in posi- 21. Thus the part18 is held Ain fixed relation when lthe guard 7 is moved to the left inFig. 1 together with the guard gate 5. As the operator moves the guardgate 5v and the auxiliary guard 7 to the right in Fig. 1, obvi-v ouslythe spring 17 in unwinding tends to reduce tensionso that the elevatoroperator does not have to exert any other eii'ort than he wouldnaturally have to do in opening the guard gate 5, the advantages ofwhich are apparent. Fixed to the wall of the elevator cage 4, as by ascrew 22, is a guard 23, best seen in Fig. 6. The purpose ot this guardis to protect the roller 13 and its guard 7 during functioning of theguard gate 5. and its auxiliary guard 7.

What I claim is:

A device of the character stated comprising a building' structurehavingan opening at a floor level, a sliding door for closing saidopening, an elevator cage, a guard gate of lazy-tong construction forcompletely covering the opening irom said cage, an auxiliary guard ofrelatively flexible nature mounted entirely and solely Within said cageto wind and unwind at one end and iixed to the free end of said gate atits other end to move therewith, said lixed end of said guard beingbound by a strip 10 and riveted to said gate, said single curtainextending from adjacent the cage ioor for only a portion of the heightof said gate, whereby the bodies of the persons occupying the cage areprotected from contact with the lazy-tong gate in closing of saidauxiliary guard, a pair of brackets of which one is forked, a springactuated roller for accommodating said auxiliary guard in its windingand unwinding movements, said roller having a spindle at its bottom forbrackets, said roller having a spindle at its top engaging the forkedbracket, a coiled spring connecting said spindles, and a guard enclosingsaid roller.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

EDWARD HUTCHIN SON, J R.

engaging in one of said

